Echoes
by ii-Phoenix-ii
Summary: What if the Yeager's had arrived too late? Mikasa is taken to the Underground and found by Levi.


**Chapter 1: Lost**

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

 **Summary** : What if the Yeager's had arrived too late? Mikasa is taken to the Underground City and saved by Levi and his friends.

 _There will be some child abuse (not too graphic or sexual) hence the M rating, just to be on the safe side._

* * *

"What's wrong, Dad?"

His father didn't reply, looking horrified.

"Dad?" Eren peeked in and froze. A dark-haired woman was sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood. A blond-haired man was slumped against the wall to his left, utterly still. _They were wrong_. He thought suddenly.

Then his dad was blocking his view, ushering him out, "Eren, stay out here. I'm going to check the house."

The boy nodded, not quite there, and his father disappeared back inside, closing the door behind him. Eren had overheard the adults talking once when they thought he couldn't hear. He hadn't been able to wrap his head around what this 'death' they were talking about was. It wasn't until much later he understood the concept.

 _They were wrong. They don't look like they're sleeping_. Why did people say that, he wondered. How could anyone mistake a dead body for a sleeping person? It didn't make any sense to him. They were too still. Something was clearly missing.

"—bedroom is empty. I will go get the Military Police, okay? Eren," his dad said in a stronger voice, when Eren gave no reply, "did you hear what I said?"

"Yes. I'll...wait."

With one last look, his father left. Eren watched him disappear and went inside the house. Where was the girl? Mikasa, he remembered name. Carefully, he walked around the female corpse, a hot wave of anger rolling over him, thinking about someone doing that to his own mother. The house was small but comfortable, cozy. Unlike his house, it was only one floor with a kitchen and dining/living room in the front with bedrooms and a bathroom in the back.

Eren looked around the bedroom curiously. He had never been inside a girl's room before. It wasn't that much different from his own: a small bed, a dresser, and a toy chest to the side. His green eyes immediately went to the stuffed animal on her bed. He picked up the bunny from where it was propped against the pillow. It had to be her favorite stuffed animal. The cream bunny was worn with a little light blue bow around its neck.

 _She must be so scared_. The boy gripped the stuffed animal tightly, glaring at the evil faceless men he was imagining in his head. He lay the toy back in its place and dashed out, a look of determination etched firmly in his face.

Standing outside the house with a knife he had liberated from the kitchen, his head darted left and right. Maybe they were still around somewhere. It had been raining badly and they could have sought shelter. _I'll find you, Mikasa!_ Eren circled the house before moving deeper into the woods. He had played in them enough not to get lost. He was hoping she would scream and he could locate her that way. Disappointed when nothing popped out but still determined, he continued searching.

Eren almost slapped his forehead when he realized it.

If the men had been looking to get out of the rain, there was only one place they could go aside from the Ackerman house. _The cabin!_ Excitement and fury swirled in him, giving him a boost and he shot forward.

His eyes lit up when he saw the footprints in the still wet ground. _It has to be them!_ Quietly, he snuck to the side of the old, abandoned cabin to look in the windows. They were too high. Even if he stood on his toes he couldn't reach. _I don't hear anything_. He went to the front door and pressed his ear against it.

Silence.

 _No! She has to be here!_ He dashed around back. The door was locked. The front it was. He went back and strained his ears to check again for voices, or any sounds at all.

Nothing.

Still not giving up—they could be deeper inside the house—he clutched the knife tightly and opened the door. Eren stood still. The entire place felt empty. He couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach. He nudged the partially open door and it creaked open fully.

Empty.

His little shoulders slumped. He had been so sure they would be here. Despondent, he walked slowly back, unable to overcome a sense of failure.

* * *

"Eren!" His dad cried out, running to him and kneeling before him, pulling him into a tight hug. Finally, his heart rate decelerated and he pulled. "Where have you been? I told you to wait here!" The boy's eyes fell, expression downcast. "I thought the kidnapers had taken you too!" He took the knife out of his hand in confusion. "What is this?"

"I just wanted to find her, Dad," Eren's voice shook. "I just wanted to help."

His father took a deep, calming breath. "Eren, I can understand that. But you have to consider the consequences of your decisions before you act so rashly."

"They could have been hurting her! I couldn't waste time waiting for you!"

"And what if you _had_ found them?" His father demanded. "You don't know how many there were! And they killed two adults! What makes you think you could have stopped them? As proud as I am that you wanted to save the poor girl, you should have thought about your own safety!"

Eren opened his mouth but wasn't allowed to get a word in.

"What if something had happened to you? Did you think about what if would to your mother and I?"

Feeling guilty, he dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry."

His father sighed, pulling him into a hug again. "I hope you understand I didn't say any of that out of anger but fear because you are my son and I care about you."

"I know."

Eren stood quietly as his father finished talking to the MP soldiers. _The footprints,_ he thought. If they were there, it meant the kidnappers had been at the cabin at some point and left after the storm was over.

 _We were too late!_ They'd seen the dark clouds gathering and decided to wait until after the heavens were done soaking everything underneath before departing. _Maybe if we'd left when we had planned, we could have gotten here in time._

The MP soldiers had gone to the abandoned cabin to take shoe prints and measure for shoe sizes while he and his father headed home.

 _It doesn't matter_. Eren thought. By the time the police would finish and set up check points at the gate, the kidnappers would have already passed through and disappeared anywhere. From what the two MP men had said, the kidnappers in almost all cases were the parents or family members of the children, meaning it was very likely this was a case of human trafficking. _We're too late._

Mikasa was lost and beyond his saving.

* * *

It had pinched.

When the needle had gone into her skin and they injected her with a sedative. They promised it wouldn't hurt if she kept still and it would help her sleep but she hadn't felt a thing, too numb from the trauma of witnessing her parents' murder. Mikasa's eyes had begun to flutter, her body heavy.

She had felt the cool, clean air and the scent of nature after a storm. Her surroundings had been a blur until one man placed a bag over her head, leaving her in total darkness, making it easier to lose consciousness.

When the girl came to, everything was dark except for sparks here and there. Blinking rapidly, she waited for her vision to adjust. It was dank and it smelled of poor human hygiene, causing her stomach to turn. Her heart was pounding furiously. She was in a cage, she could tell that much. And she wasn't alone.

There were no windows, no indication of the time of day. Torches along the wall outside the large cage were the only source of light. Other children were unconscious around her, curled up into fetus positions, shivering, and some who were awake were whimpering.

Mikasa had never been more terrified in her life.

Her mind was overrun with panic and she couldn't think.

She just wanted her parents.

She couldn't tell how long she sat there, back pressed against the wall, knees drawn up, her face buried in her arms and small, uncontrollable tremors going down her body.

A part of her hoped it was a dream. An awful, cold nightmare that would be over soon. She'd open her eyes, back in the safety of her bedroom, Floppy next to her. Mikasa would go into her parents' room and sleep wrapped up in their warm embrace, all safe and sound. What felt like hours passed as she sat, eyes squeezed shut, hoping and praying and willing this terrible dream to end.

Eventually, more children came to, the same fear reflected on their faces. They cried and screamed, waking others who joined in, sobbing for their parents. She was one of the quiet ones, reserved and keeping to herself, though the urge to join in was hard to resist.

Mikasa's skin was cool as ice when she heard the footsteps and voices. Her heart froze. Her mind ran amok with terror. They looked monstrous. All were men with mean faces, except for one woman with hunched shoulders. She looked so fragile. As if a gentle nudge might break her. More torches were lit, lighting up the room. The children continued to wail even after the really scary one with sideburns told them to quiet down. "Shut up!" He screamed. "Or I'll feed you to the dogs!"

Most fell silent, petrified, while a few struggled to contain their fear. The smell of urine, which had been present before, was overpowering now.

One of the men pinched his nose. "Why do they always have to stink?" He growled. "Disgusting little shits."

Sideburns was speaking once more but Mikasa couldn't understand, the words flowing between her ears but unable to connect to her brain. He started ordering them around. The children who did not follow directions or those too slow to react were grabbed harshly and forcibly moved. Numbly, she stood up when he barked at her, body listlessly moving without a word.

* * *

They'd separated the boys and girls, much to her relief, when she entered the room and realized what their intent was. There were three other girls shivering next to her. She eyed the older woman with hope. But the woman with the dark circles under her eyes sharply ordered them to undress. When the girls didn't move, only staring at her with wide, fearful eyes, she pulled out a baton and smacked it scarily against the palm of her hand.

"I'll ask one more time." She took a threatening step toward a small blonde, who cried out and began unbuttoning her nightgown.

Still shy and self-conscious, much like the rest of the girls, Mikasa removed her night dress. The woman filled up a bucket and stood before her. With shaky fingers, she uncrossed her arms, planting them firmly by her sides, face burning and bracing herself for the cold.

Mikasa gasped when the icy water was dumped over her head. She had a moment of panic when she ran out of breath. The woman stepped back and nodded. Using a white towel, she quickly dried the trembling girl. Mikasa tried not to make a sound, wincing as her hair was yanked painfully and at the rough wipes hurting her skin.

"Grab one and put it on," the woman pointed to an old chair with folded gray dresses.

Hurriedly crossing the room, she dressed herself. It was long-sleeved and fell to her ankles, not much protection against the chilly temperature but better than being paraded around naked. Standing there, unsure what to do, she was suddenly hit with a wave of emotion. It was finally sinking in. The world began to warp around her. Mikasa grabbed the chair, knees too weak to support her.

The reality hit her full force. Her parents wouldn't be able to help her.

They were dead.

Gone.

And soon, she may be too.

For now, she was alone and frightened. All she wanted to do was collapse and sob uncontrollably. The only emotion that overpowered her despair was fear. She didn't know what the woman would do if she started crying.

Frozen, she watched the girls join her one by one. When they were all done, the woman led them through a different door than the one they came in.

The hallway was dimly lit, dirty, and had dark blotches along the walls. They took one of the doors that led to another creepy hallway. The room they ended up in was big and open. Unlike the rest of the place, it was cleaned out, well lit, and didn't look as dilapidated as the rest of the building. Many small cages were placed around the rooms and she shivered, imagining what purpose they served. Though she had an idea.

Sideburns had reappeared. Unconsciously, Mikasa's shoulders shrunk, trying to make herself smaller, unwilling to attract attention. He began barking orders. Two of the children raised a fuss when ordered to get into the cages, one earning a punch to the gut and the other a smack across the face. He broke most of them up by growling either 'floor' or 'stage' at them.

Mikasa stilled when the scary man stopped before her. Roughly, he grabbed her face, his dirty fingernails digging into her skin, making her eyes water. "Amazing! Such exotic features! I heard about you. Gebhard and his boys brought you in. You'll be the star tonight."

Mutely, eyes huge, she stiffly followed the other two, a boy with blond, almost white, hair and a girl with one blue and one brown eye. It was tight and constricting inside the cage, the dark metal hard and cold. Mikasa felt her breathing come in shallower breaths. With great difficulty, she swallowed.

Around her, people continued to hurry around, yelling at each other about preparing for the event.

"For fuck's sake, Heiner, I've told you ten times already to light that torch! We're getting nobles from the top today! Don't wanna get punished if those snobs stick up their prim little noses and complain about not being able to see the prizes!"

"I'll get right on it!"

"Make sure the curtains work properly!" Another voice yelled. "I want the unveiling to be dramatic!"

"We'll save the best for last! They're in for a real treat!"

"As are we!" An excited voice claimed. "Those old perverts will pay a hefty amount for little new toys for them to play with!"

"Did you see that black-haired doll? Man, if she was older with some tits and they let us test out the merchandise before selling, I'd try that one."

"She'd be nice. But can you imagine looking down into those pretty mismatched eyes of the other one blowing you?"

"Those freaks up top sure have queer tastes. Children is already gross but _boys?_ I mean have _some_ decency."

"I heard some like to bed animals too."

"Filthy bastards," he shook his head, laughing.

Since she was firmly secured in her cage on the stage, they ignored her, excitedly talking with one another. And finally Mikasa gave in and let the tears fall freely. From the way they talked and those leers sent in her direction, she thought maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if she'd died with her parents.

* * *

"You're sure about this, Isabel?" Levi tapped the table with his index finger, one elbow resting on the top of the chair.

"Uh-huh," the girl nodded enthusiastically. "I'm sure! My friend said her boss told her they were expecting important company from the city. She's sure they're expecting nobles."

"I heard chatter about an auction," Farlan crossed his arms. "The timing makes sense. Those rich bastards must be here for that. But those auctions are all very hush-hush. We'll have a hard time finding it."

"Do you think your guard friend might let us know when the guests from the top begin to arrive?" Levi asked.

" _Friend_ is not really the term I'd use. The man's as greedy as he is fat. He takes bribes from everyone and for all kinds of things. And he'll want a cut, a big one, for this because of the marks and the risk involved."

"That's okay," Isabel said. "I bet the nobles will be loaded!"

"Do you think he sold the info off to others?"

"I doubt it. If they let their best customers get robbed, the nobles won't come back. And they'll know it was one of the guards who let it slip. These auctions are kept tightly under wraps and they try to move the...merchandise," Farlan's face wrinkled in disgust and Levi couldn't help but agree with the sentiment, "as quickly as they can. No one else but the soldiers guarding the entrance to the top, and the Underground, would know who the nobles were because they would be the ones to bribe their way in for secrecy."

Levi nodded, "Anyone with half a brain would know better than to use his identification to come down." That made them identifiable and left a paper trail.

"Yeah, so Baldrik will be wary."

"But as long as it's only _one_ noble that gets robbed, it won't raise suspicion, right?" Isabel looked between the two. Considering the number of crooks running around, it was highly possible and not too suspicious if just one noble fell victim.

"If Baldrik doesn't sell the info to anyone else—which I doubt he will because _they_ will come sniffing—it might work."

"He's going to ask for a lot," Levi frowned.

"The auction is tonight, I think. I'm not sure," Farlan admitted. "I can go confirm. By the time I return, you can decide if we want to do this."

"Go meet with your source then," Levi said after a minute of silence. "We'll go meet Baldrik after. He might not agree to sell us the information but it can't hurt to try."

* * *

 _I wrote this out of the blue. Probably should've planned it out first. But I really wanted to write a Levi raising Mikasa story._

 _ **Please Review~**_


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